Telephone attachment.



No. 826,938.' PATENTED JULY 24, 1906.

F.- F. HOWE.

TELEPHONE ATTACHMENT.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 23, 1906.

INVENTOH FRANKF. HOWE TTNITED STATES PATENT orrron.

Specification of Letters Patent.

atented July 24, 19.06.

Application filed January 23,1906. SerialNo. 2,9 7,420-

T0 on whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK F. Howe, a citizen of the United States, and a resident .of Cleveland, in the county of Cuyahoga and State of Ohio, have made certain new and useful Improvements in Telephone Attachments ofwhich the following is a specification.

My invention. is an improvement in telephone attachments, and particularly in that class of such devices illustrated in'my former patent, No. 794,016, issuedJuly 4, 1905; and the present invention consistsin certain novel constructions and combinations of parts, as will be hereinafter described and claimed.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective viewofrny invention as in use. Fig. 2 is a plan view, partly in section, of the improved device. Fig. 3 is a detail cross section on about line 3 3.of Fig. 2'. Fig. 4 is a cross-section-on about line 4140f Fig. 2. Fig. 5isadetail perspective view showing the bracket with its transverse arm or bar and the latch pivoted thereto, and Fig; 6 isa detail sectional elevation on about line-6 6 of'Fig. '21

In my present invention I provide means whereby the swinging spring-pressed carrier A may be moved in eitherdi'rection from its normal positionv and: will when so moved release the rocker connected with the telephoneswitch, so that if the carrier be moved laterally in one direction to ermit the application of the receiver to the eft ear or laterally in the opposite direction: to permit the application of the receiver tothe right ear the rocker will be released inboth instances toopen the telehoneswitch, as will be understood from the followingdescription.

Inv carrying out my invention I provide a bracket B, which for convenience projects frorna base-plate C, secured in racticeto the telephone-board D, and I prefer to provide a nameplate E, secured beneath the baseplate 0 and secured by the same screws (see Figs. 1 and 2) and intended to remain per manently on the telephone-board, so that if the bracket should at any time be removed the name-plate and screws all remain to prevent any disfigurement of the telephoneboard. This nameplate may be provided with the name of the telephone company to Whom: the phone belongs.

The bracket B extends outwardly in the same general directionras the transmitter-arm of'the phone and is: provided at its outer end with a transverse bar B, having at its ends the upwardly-proj ecting stopsB which limit the movement ofthe swinging carrier, pres ently described, in both directions.

To the transverse bar B is pivoted at one end at F the roekerF, which extends along side the bar B, (see Figs. 1, 2, and 6,) has midway between its ends an elevated portion F which operates at a point midway be tween the stops B and is also provided on opposite sides of the elevated portion F with depressed portions F and F*, the swinging end of the rocker F being united by a suitable connection G. with the telephone-switch H, so that as the carrier, presently described, is moved out of engagement with the elevated portion F of therocker the telephone-switch by its .own spring will move upwardly, operating the rocker in the same manner (see dotted lines, Fig. 6) and open the switch ofthe telephone.

The swinging carrierA is pivoted at its in ner end at A and extends thence outwardly over-the bracket B and over thetransverse arm B and stands normally over and engagement with theelevated' portion F of the rocker, asv shown in Figs. 1, 2', and 6, in such manner as to secure the rocker in the fullline position shown in Fig. .6, inwhilch it will hold the switch. closed by the connections before described. This [carrier A may be swung laterally in. either position, and means are provided for readjustingit to-i'ts normal position (shown in full lines, Fig. 6) when it has. been moved laterally and released. To this end I preferably make the carrier springpressed, thus returning it to normal position, and, as shown, the springs are two separate springs operating upon pins 6, extendi'nglaterally from the bracket B midway between its ends and the springs-b, operating'at their inner ends upon-washer-plates 6 which overlap the lower edge of the swinging carrier and tend to return the same torits normal position, as shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 6, without preventing the lateral shifting. of the carrier in. either-direction, as may be desired.

By preference the rocker is provided at its elevated portion with an antifriction-roller F upon which the carrier operates orbears when in normal position. 5

By the describedv construction it will b.eno ticed that if the receiver be moved tothe left for use with the left ear or to the ri ht for use with the ri ht ear the carrierwill e shifted off of theelevated portion of the rocker and the latter will be permitted to rise as thetelephone is cut intocircuit.

It maybe desired at times to leave the telephone temporarily cut in, and to provide for this I supply a latch which may be adjusted into engagement with the carrier to hold the same in either of the positions to which it may be moved for releasing the rocker. This latch I is shown as pivoted at one end I to the transverse bar B and having an upwardly-projecting portion I whose edges i and i may be moved up alongside the carrier when the same is shifted to one or the other side in order to hold the carrier in such position. This latch I drops by gravity when the carrier is moved out of engagement therewith, the yielding pressure of the carrier againstthe edges i and i operating to hold the latch and carrier in engagement.

Suitable means are provided for supporting the receiver J from the swinging carrier. As shown, these include an inner section K and an outer section K, jointed by a horizontal pivot at K so the outer section may be raised and lowered, the inner section K being secured at k to the carrier and having a lateral outwardlyeprojecting wing W, and the outer section K having a lateral inwardlyprojecting wing W, the inner and outer seetions being thus offset laterally to bring the receiver normally in front of the transmitter. The section K may be adjusted in or out along the carrier A to adapt it to receivers of different lengths.

A shaft L extends outwardly from the outer section K and has near its outer end a transverse groove L, and this shaft L is telescoped by a tube M, which may move in and out and turn upon the said shaft and is pre- .vented from accidental displacement by means of a spring-yoke L encircling the tube M and having its ends L projectin through openings inthe tube and entering t e groove L when the parts are in the position shown in Figs. 2 and 3, the groove L having its rear wall Z sloped so the point L will ride out of the groove when the tube M is pushed inwardly, as will be understood from Figs. 2 and 3 of the drawings. The outer end of the tube M is slotted at M, and within this slot is pivoted the lug N on the plate N, towhich the receiver is secured by the clamps N and N as shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings.

It will be noticed from dotted lines in Fig.

- 2 that the base-wall of the slot for the lug N is inclined slightly, permitting the plate, with the receiver, to rock in adjusting the receiver to the ear, the receiver thus rockin slightly and also turning with the tube and being movable by the adjustment of the tube along the shaft L and being capable of an up-and-down movement by the joint K as before described.

In Fig. l I show a clamp O for application t0,'l7l16 receiver-hook II. This clamp, as

shown, has two lugs which straddle the stem 6 5 back of the hook and fasten by a screw at the lower end of the lugs, the top plate of the clamp passing over the base of the hook and bending down slightly to prevent the clamp from slipping back toward the phone. The outer end of this top plate has a hole in which the connection G is secured when the parts are applied for use, as shown in Fig. 1.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The combination of a laterally-projecting bracket having at its outer end a trans* verse arm provided at its op osite ends with upwardly-projecting stops, t e swinging carrier pivoted at its inner end and swinging at its outer end laterally across the transverse arm and between the stops thereof, readjusting means for normally holding the carrier midway between the stops, a rocker for connection with a telephone-switch, said rocker being pivoted at one end, provided between its ends with an elevated ortion for engagement by the carrier and depressed on opposite sides of said elevated portion, whereby the movement of the carrier laterally in either direction will permit an upward movement of the rocker, means in connection with the swinging carrier for holding a telephonereceiver, and a latch operating in connection with the bracket and movable into and out ofposition to hold the carrier out of nor.- mal position, substantially as set forth.

2. The combination of a bracket having the transverse arm with the upwardly-projecting spaced-apart stops, a swinging carrier movable between said stops, means whereby said carrier when in normal position midway between said stops will close a telephone-switch, means in connection with the swinging carrier for supporting a telephone-receiver and springs supported by the bracket and operating upon the opposite sides of the swinging carrier and adapted to hold the same yieldingly in normal position,

substantially as set forth.

3. The combination in a support for telephone-receivers, of a rocker for connection with a telephone-switch, said rocker being piv-' oted at one end and having intermediate its ends an elevated portion and having depressed portions on opposite sides of the intermediate elevated portion and a laterallyswinging spring-pressed carrier movable nor mally to a position over the intermediate elevated portion of the rocker, whereby to close the switch in the normal position of the carrier, and means connected with the carrier for holding a telephone-receiver, substantially as set forth.

4. The combination of the bracket having a transverse bar at its outer end, a rocker pivoted at one end to said bar, provided between its ends with an elevated portion and depressed, on opposite sides of said elevated portion, a spring-pressed carrier extending over the said transverse bar and resting normally on the elevated portion of the rocker and movable laterallyin both directions to release the rocker, and a latch pivoted to the transverse bar and having an u wardlyprojecting portion whose opposite si es may be engaged with -.the spring-pressed carrier to hold .the same in one or the other of its positions when moved out of normal position, substantially as set forth.

5. The combination of a bracket, a laterally-swinging spring-pressed carrier, a rocker for operation by said carrier whereby to close the switch and means for supporting the receiver from the swinging carrier, said means including inner and outer sections having laterally-projecting wings and portions carried thereby and jointed together by a horizontal pivot, the inner section being secured to the swinging carrier and receiver-securing devices connected with the outer section, substantially as set forth.

6. The combination in a telephone attachment, of a shaft provided near its outer end with a transverse groove having its inner Wall sloped, a receiver-carrying tube fitting over said shaft and movable therealong, and springactuated pins extending through the tube and arranged to bear against the shaft and to enter the groove therein,-whereby to limit the outward movement of the tube, substantially as set forth.

7. The combination of the shaft having a transverse groove, the tube telescoping on and movable along the shaft, a spring-yoke encircling the tube and having its ends operating in the groove of the shaft and means for supporting a telephone-receiver from the tube, substantially as set forth.

8. The combination in a telephone attachment, of a carrier provided with means for supporting a telephone-receiver and springpressed into normal position and movable from said normal position in both directions, and a rocker for connection with the telephone-switch and having a central elevated portion engaged by the carrier and depressed on opposite sides of the elevated portion, the rocker being actuated by the carrier when the latter is in normal position, and freed by the movement of said carrier in either direction out of normal position, substantially as set forth.

FRANK F. HOWE.

Witnesses:

L. O. HOWE, D. M. POWERS. 

